Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) captain Virat Kohli acknowledged their batting failure after the defeat against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on Friday (September 24). RCB could only set a target of 157 runs after getting off to a flying start.
The opening pair of Devdutt Padikkal and Kohli stitched up a partnership of 111 runs in 13.2 overs. It looked like RCB will achieve at least around 180 in the remaining overs, but CSK bowlers triggered a collapse and RCB lost 5 wickets for only 16 runs.
Speaking about the performance, Kohli said they fell 15-20 runs short of a good total. "The wicket did slow down a bit. But I feel we left out 15-20 runs out there. 175 would've been a winning total. Didn't bowl consistently. Didn't show that much courage I guess with the ball.
"They bowled well in the back end of the innings, executed the slower balls and yorkers nicely. We spoke of areas we didn't want them to hit and we didn't do that. That little bit of X factor was missing in the first 5-6 overs," he said in the post-match presentation.
"Got to get on that winning run again. This one is a bit more disappointing. The first one we just weren't in the game. Have to show more courage in crunch moments. This tournament goes by quickly," he added.
RCB didn't lose the third spot on the points table but looking at their consecutive defeats, it won't be an easy journey to the playoffs. They currently have five wins in nine matches after a six-wicket loss against CSK.
Super Kings chased down the target with 11 balls left. Although none of the batters reached a half-century, the contribution was enough to form a partnership that completed the run-chase.
